Flashback Friday: Rach Talks to Howie Mandel

Have ya'll been watching America's Got Talent? Judge Howie Mandel has seen it all this season, from magicians to ice skaters to even comedians like himself! But Rachael talked to him back when he was still hosting Deal or No Deal and got the scoop on his love of takeout and the reason behind his scarcely stocked fridge.

Rachael Ray: Hey, Howie. I hear we're going to see you on Deal or No Deal five nights a week. That's great! If you were at home watching the show from your couch, what would you be eating for dinner?Howie Mandel: Anything that was ordered in. I don't know if you noticed, but there's no food in my fridge.

RR: Yeah, it looks like you're on a liquid diet. Who is the cook in the house? You, your wife, your kids?HM: Neither my wife, Terry, nor I cook. Actually, as a way to discipline the kids, she threatens to prepare dinner -- that's how bad her cooking is.RR: Well, I guess you weren't lured by your wife's cooking skills when you were dating!HM: Nope. She made toast once and burned it, but I'm OK with that. I'm not a home-cooking kind of guy. I've lived in this house for eight years, and the price sticker is still stuck inside the oven. We call ourselves a green family because we don't waste energy turning on the stove.RR: That's a good way to look at it! And you're not interested in learning how to cook?HM: I love your food and think that cooking is definitely a true talent, but it's not one that I care to partake in. I prefer restaurants. We eat out at least five nights a week with our three kids.RR: Well, at least you spend quality time together that way.HM: I think eating together is probably the most important part of raising a family because you have good conversations over good food. It's just that, in my case, there's usually a waitress with us, too!RR: So, I see a lot of soy milk and rice milk in your fridge. Is someone in your family lactose intolerant?HM: They're for our morning cereal. My wife is kind of a health nut, so we don't eat or drink dairy. I realize how weird that sounds. First I tell you that we only eat out, and then I say my wife's a health nut, but it's true.RR: So, Howie, if you could invite anyone, living or dead, over for a dinner party -- or a takeout dinner party -- who would you invite?HM: Oh, definitely somebody living. Because dead people just aren't as much fun around the dinner table!